by Aoife Deery, CAS housing spokesperson.
This article was first published in the Herald on 15 April 2023.
I find governments reshuffles exciting. What do you mean I should get out more? I’m perfectly serious. Cut me some slack here – after all working with government is one of the key ways we achieve change for the people who come to the CAB network for advice.
Take my own specialist area – housing. I’m really pleased to see it recognised as a core focus of the new cabinet, with no less than one cabinet secretary and two ministers. This is good timing as well, as there is so much ambitious work going on in the housing sector, including work to deliver more social homes, reduce homelessness, introduce a national system of rent controls, improve housing standards, all while also reducing carbon emissions from Scotland’s housing stock in line with net zero targets.
There’s no shortage of work facing this new team and it’s vital that they work across portfolios with ministers for energy and net zero to ensure that people across Scotland understand the changes and their rights.
Housing is one of the top areas for us in the CAB network, and our housing advice is often provided in tandem with other issues such as benefits, debt and energy bills. For example, we know that more and more people have been struggling to heat their homes during the cost of living crisis, and this can exacerbate poor housing conditions, including damp and mould.
The Scottish Government’s rented sector strategy and forthcoming Housing Bill represent a real chance to shape a fairer system, but this can’t be done without genuine involvement from tenants and landlords in the policy process. Similarly, a just transition to net zero can’t be achieved without the voices of both tenants and landlords informing all aspects of the legislation. In our work, we often see how low-income and vulnerable groups of people too often have things done “to” them rather than “with” them. That culture must end.
To be clear, CAS supports net zero. We just want to make sure that the policies implemented to make it happen are both fair and realistic, and don’t punish those who are already vulnerable. We know that some early attempts at promoting energy-efficiency measures in housing - well-intentioned as they were -, have not worked properly, and don’t suit the homes they’ve been installed in. In some extreme cases, they have even caused hardship to the people they were done to. For a number of years, one CAB in the north of Scotland has been assisting clients who had poor insulation and a new type of heating system installed by their housing association, which drove up their heating bills to exorbitant levels despite their homes remaining cold. This is a prime example of why it’s important to involve people in the process at an early stage, and having protections and processes in place in case things go wrong.
So I look forward to working with the new ministerial housing team and being a constructive advocate as we head towards net zero, while ensuring that everyone has a safe, warm and affordable home. The CAB network is not just here to deliver advice, but to use our evidence to work towards positive change for everyone.